Oh SNAP

The cause of hunger comes in many forms and so does its solutions! Some hunger is solved at the community level by local businesses, volunteers, or organizations - like Food Lifeline. Other times, it's the role of government to organize a response. An example of this is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is the nation’s first line of defense against hunger.

SNAP is a federal-state partnership created 40 years ago with the Food Stamp Act and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. It helps families with basic nutritional needs get through hard times by providing timely, targeted, and temporary benefits (less than $1.39 per person, per meal) for buying groceries.

Nuts & Bolts

Congress must act to fund SNAP in the 2018 farm bill. The first version of the bill is expected in November 2017, with a full version going to the Senate in early 2018. In a sign of trouble ahead, the $4 trillion 2018 budget blueprint, passed 51-49 by the Senate recently, includes a more than 20% cut in Department of Agriculture funding. And an earlier House Budget Committee “mark up” includes likely cuts to SNAP of $10 billion over 10 years, and apparently $1.6 billion over 10 years in cuts by eliminating thousands of schools from the School Meal Community Eligibility Provision! In other words, hunger advocates have a fight on their hands.

Feeding America’s Take

If SNAP were weakened many millions of older Americans, people with disabilities, children, veterans, struggling parents — working and unemployed — and countless others will be harmed. As a result, the nation will see more hunger and food insecurity, worse health and educational outcomes, and higher health costs.

Food for thought: On average, SNAP benefits amount to about $129 a month per person, or about $1,548 a year. Yet, according to a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine (Sept. 2017), “SNAP enrollees had average annual health spending that was $1,409 less than people who didn’t participate in the program.” One could argue SNAP not only meets critical needs, but represents a compelling return on investment.